A CHARD pianist who was born with webbed fingers and went on to raise thousands of pounds for charity has died in the town recently.

The family of fundraiser Alan Hayman have paid tribute to his decades of charity work, saying he will be ‘missed by everyone that knew him’.

Alan, who was 84 when he died, was a fixture at fundraising events around the town for many years, even starring on the front of the News for the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Rosie, his sister, said: “He was born in Honiton in 1933. He was born with two fingers on each hand webbed together and he was told that he would never be able to play piano.

“Through sheer determination he taught himself to play.

“By the age of seven he was entertaining at the army camp near Honiton and he used to be known as the boy with webbed fingers.”

Alan started to play for dances and that is where he his wife and together they had three children - Velda, Rosie and Terry.

Rosie said: “When he moved to Chard the marriage sadly broke down, but he carried on with piano playing and raised funds for the carnival committee, disabled and handicapped people by going to their parties, and he went to nursing homes.

“All the money raised went to the charities.

“He raised a lot for Ferne Animal Sanctuary and one year he was awarded a bronze statue of a bird for being their volunteer of the year.”

Alan was also an honoured citizen of Chard.

Rosie added: “He said to me that if he could make one person smile then he was happy, his job was done. Over the years he must have raised thousands and thousands of pounds.

“Sometimes at Christmas you barely saw him during the day.

“It was nothing for him to have for or five parties in one day.

“He will be missed by all who knew him. Everyone who met him, all the carers in the nursing home, all loved him so much.

“He would never put anyone out.

“If he thought he could save anyone from doing anything, he would rather struggle to do it himself.”